Helpful Uses for Tank Valve Caps
By Matt Crisp, 10/17/12
Over the years I've discovered that many SCUBA accessories have bonus uses. For example, after struggling to remove fragile urchin spines from my buddy's knee without breaking them, I folded my light's lanyard around the spines. The rubber tubing was just sticky enough to grip the spines without breaking them. I also know that my flashlight has a reflector that may be useful as a signal mirror in the event of an emergency.
Another accessory that has multiple uses is the tank valve cap. Most use it simply to identify full tanks. Cap on indicates a full tank, and cap off means the tank needs to be filled. But here's a couple other uses that may come in handy.
Spare O-ring holder
Slip a few o-rings over the string and never be without a spare.
Chemlight Leash
The cap's string can also be used to attach glow sticks. Just remove the cap and string from the valve, slip the string through the glow stick, and place the cal back around the valve. No more zip ties to cut off after you dive!